HK Virus Patients Lose Sense Of Smell, Taste

Four people who recently came down with Covid-19 in Hong Kong have told health authorities they lost their sense of smell and taste, with two of them reporting they had no other signs of illness.

The patients, all of whom had returned from the UK or the US, were among 43 people confirmed to have the coronavirus infection on Thursday.

They include a 27-year-old woman and two students who came back from the UK, and a 30-year-old woman who returned from the US.

Hong Kong so far has reported 453 cases of Covid-19.

Ear, nose and throat specialists in Britain, the US and France have noted a growing number of patients in recent weeks with anosmia – the abrupt loss of the sense of smell – and have said this could be a sign of Covid-19 in people who otherwise appear well.

The World Health Organisation lists the most common signs of COVID-19 as fever, a dry cough and fatigue.